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And thats the Lego Maniac!: One Piece 519 Review

And thats the Lego Maniac!: One Piece 519 Rewiew

Yoza there once again, Retro here to dish out a little more manga reviewing, just to flex my reviewing legs on this site a bit. I’ve already re-started reviews for FT but One Piece is a huge love of mine when it come to mangas (not that FT isn’t either). So it just wouldn’t sit right with me if I didn’t review another one of my favorite mangas while am a member of this site. So hope you all enjoy my review, any critism for this critic is largely welcome, tis all good. Special shout out to Franky House for bringing us their English translated chapters.

++++Now where were we…?:
CP9 Mini arc:
After leaving St. Poplar after making a bit of a spectacle of themselves overly beating the Candy Pirates. The former agents decide leave the town and travel the ocean, eventually reaching their homeland.

Main Story:
Luffy managed to avoid the amazon warriors for the most part. But by extreme bad luck wound up in the bathhouse of Boa Hancock, the Kuja Empress, and saw the taboo object on her back. Angered, she tried to use her stone power on him and when that didn’t work, managed to capture Luffy and sentence him to death in the Kuja’s arena. Margaret and her friends tried to plea on his behalf but it proves fruitless as Hancock turns all three to stone before trying to execute Luffy with her giant panther. However, Luffy knocks it out and completely scolds Hancock for her selfish and unjust behavior. This prompts her to sic her sisters on Luffy to finish him off. Thus the deathmatch begins.

++++

One Piece 519: The King’s Disposition (Or The Haki Power Cometh!)

CP9 Look In: Next Generation
The former agents look on as they see a few kids beginning their trek into the style of Rokushiki. Heh always nice to look back to what made you are now. Though lets hope the agents will show these recruits not to be as emotionless as they were during their duties. Upholding justice is one thing, but so is the value of human life.

The “Curse” Revealed!
So the fight on the verge of beginning and all the Kuja are going ga-ga at Marigold and Sandersonia’s snake forms which they think are part of the suppose “Gorgon curse’ which at this point we all know is a lie. A pity were told of their zoan models right off the bat cause it kinda throws all the mystery weather theres a curse or not out the window (though am sure most of you figured that wasn’t the case long before this chapter). But I guess its better this way because now the question is when the truth going to get out to the other warriors and how they’ll react to being deceived.

Pre-fight Prep
As with the last chapter, the Kuja are more then pumped to see Luffy bite the dust. The Boa sisters likewise as Marigold and Sandersonia think of ways to doing him in. Luffy though more worried about the stone girls he unwittingly got into this mess and moves em aside out of the arena, apologizing for the trouble he caused them comparing it to the situation where Aokiji froze Robin and him (Course in that case it was ice and easily recoverable from. Stone not so much =P). This is the fourth instance he remembered his crewmates when he arrived at this island, so it really shows that he does genuinely miss em and wasn’t kidding back against Arlong that he’d have to rely on them. But I gotta say so far he done well by his lonesome. After all we saw Garp’s training have at least some impact on him once he landed on the island, so he not completely hopeless by himself. Anyway Kikyou, whose watching from the audience, is actually surprised he looking out for the welfare of the girls who not too long ago were trying to kill him. Guess she starting to realize that Luffy not as bad as her island making him out to be, an ally in the making perhaps?

Ugh it had to be spikes!
After making sure his newfound friends are safe. He hops back into the battleground ready to kick butt. The Kuja typically mock him on this despite the fact he just knocked their panther executor senseless a moment ago. Marigold though more then willing to take his challenge, even informing him of the spikes around the arena (which is oddly nice of her, I guess she the more honest of the Boas) so this is definitely a gladiator match. Though more importantly Luffy gonna have to watch his step as we all know how wild his fighting style can be.

Showtime!
With that, the fight gets underway with Marigold trying to slash at Luffy with her spear. When he proves too nimble, she goes to spitting out poison that Luffy barely dodges in time. This ability makes sense as King Cobras are known for being venomous. Luffy then goes on the offensive and tries his stamp attack. But the snake Kuja just deflects it. Eep, that two opponents Luffy can’t directly hit now!
If that wasn’t bad enough, she hits him dead on with the pole end of her spear and sends him flying. As Luffy gets up, he comments that it actually hurt him. Proving that Haki stuff more powerful then we realize as well as the secert behind Sentoumaru's strength (maybe). Garp mentioned that a fist of love could be bypass Luffy’s power but I doubt Marigold really “loves” him (though given the charm power of Hancock that would be funny) so he was either foreshadowing what was coming up or just exaggerating, either way our hero in trouble.

Haki or Mantra?
Luffy now in a pickle here, how can he hit something that will just deflect his attacks. He doesn’t get much time to think before Sandersonia grabs him from behind with her tail and hangs him upside down. Seem she more the lax of the two as she calmly figures he has an ability too (in a whispered tone no less) and explains that since he can’t use haki, Luffy pretty much out of his league at the moment. To demonstrate she predicts his next attack which is his leg coming her way in a whip that Sandersonia dodges easily. Huh so it seem this Haki not only strengthens one defenses but allows to see where the next attack gonna come from. But wait we’ve seen this before in Skypiea, it was called Mantra there and only a few could use that power. So is Haki supposed to be an updated version of that or what those from the blue sea call it? Hmmm.

Ouchy-Mama!
Sandersonia then slams Luffy into the ground with her tail but since he rubber it doesn’t do anything. So it looks as if she not as powerful as Marigold is (just a guess). He then goes to counter with his patent Gatling attack but Sandersonia just wiggles her way around it. Marigold make her presence known again that after all he fighting two opponents. Slamming her tail into his midsection causing Luffy to go flying off a side of the arena and nearly into the spike pit. Luckily, he manages to grab onto the side of the arena structure and save himself before he becomes a rubber pincushion.

Some role models…
Hancock around this point thinks the fights in the bag and uses more of her charm power to sway the masses. Luffy, back in the arena, tells her to shut her trap to which she goes into her usual overly dramatic “woo is me” state and orders her sisters (with her “looking down” pose again o_- Seriously that just looks wrong on so many levels) to finish him off. The two comply but rather then attack Luffy, Sandersonia grabs Margaret and explain to Luffy that to punish him she’ll break the statue of the one who saved him, basically saying they’ll break his spirit before they finish him. Marigold binds Luffy who shouts for the two to stop, even thinking back to when Margaret explained how they looked up to the Boas. Typically though Sandersonia doesn’t care in the slightest since she has an island full of others who do likewise and goes to smash the statue much to the horror of Kikyou and a few of the warriors. However…

Power Surfaces!
…Luffy roars for them to stop, which surprisingly halt the two snake Kujas from their action and even knocks out some of those watching from the stands. Sandersonia indeed does as Luffy commands while Marigold lets him go. Luffy, not aware of what he did, thinks that the two are finally being reasonable. But members of the Kuja’s Pirates, along with the sisters, realize what Luffy unleashed was Haoushoku Haki: A type of Haki that only certain people who can stand above other can use. So now it seem Luffy already a step above and he doesn’t even know it. HA!

This could be really good or really bad
Once the shock passes, Hancock, who we find also has this power but hasn’t mastered it yet (not surprising really given her spoiled attitude) now looks worried once she realizes that this “laughable man’ may be more of a threat then simply a person whose looked at her backside. What more Luffy willing to continue the fight as he goes to Gear 2 mode, proclaiming he going to give it all he got. Thing is though, will Gear 2 have any effect on a Haki user? (I don’t count Kuma since that was more likely his DF power plus Luffy wasn’t at full strength at the time.) Not to mention the small surrounding he has to work with given the ability’s speedy nature, and the backlash once the power goes out. Then again this is Luffy were talking about, so there a good chance he’ll be able to work this out. But to say the least, all gloves are off.

And so…: Curse indeed a ruse. Fight gets underway. Luffy on the receiving in for the most part. Haki explained to him. Difficulty fighting against the Boas. Luffy releases a burst of Haki when pushed too far. Not just a normal kind but Haoushoku Haki which only a chosen few can do. and Luffy going into Gear 2 to continue the fight

++++Final Call
Great fight chapter, even though I knew the baddies would get the first shots in. It still managed to keep the story moving and reveal quite a lot in the process. Am also curious if the warrior Kujas will help Luffy now upon seeing firsthand that the Boas obviously have no qualms in sacrificing one of their own, their reaction to Margaret about to get smash seemed bypass Hancock charm spell so its highly possible. Speaking of her ability to charm people, am starting to think thats more in part to Hancock’s haki power then her devil fruit one, considering we’ve found out she has a haki similar to Luffy’s and could probably modify it. Wouldn’t be surprised if the island’s natives were just a test of her powers. Course am speculating here, I have no idea what goes on inside that creamy nougat that is Oda’s mind. So I’ll just watch and see with the rest of ya. Let just hope Luffy able to find a way to use this brand of Haki soon though cause it definitely going to the raise the bar on his fighting style and bring him one step closer to being the Pirate King.